What Went Wrong With Wave?

It's no small question (and the five Ws look kind of cool). Was it marketing? Timing? Did Google shoot themselves in the foot by leaving 'beta' tags on Gmail well after it was a perfectly formed product... so that no one was ready to accept a beta was really a beta? And, with our the Lifehacker Techlines event next week (you can still nab a seat if you leave insightful comments) tackling the topic of the future of communications, what does the demise of Google Wave say about what users are looking for?

I liked what Google Wave had to offer. But one thing that struck me early on was that there was so much confusion around what the service would actually be good for. Confusion that led to single Waves with hundreds of participants, and no one quite sure what they were trying to do. I spent some time really focusing on what Wave would do when used as an email alternative, and it had some great ideas in its integration of bots and other live web tools.

But the horse had bolted. People taste tested, got very confused, and walked away. Email was 'good enough'. And it is simple. It might get overloaded now and then, but you read it one message at a time.

Trending Stories Right Now

In spite of the more extreme elements of Rick and Morty's saucy fanbase, the Dan Harmon and Justin Roiland-created scifi parody remains a pretty entertaining watch. But after three stellar, wildly popular seasons, its future is uncertain.

Earlier this month Nikon held its annual Surf Photo of the Year awards (in partnership with Surfing Australia). Photos in the comp can be taken anywhere around the world, and are basically the most stunning views of the ocean you're likely to come across this year. Keep scrolling to see what I mean.